New Joiners - Animals #625

This is a really good action shot. I love the motion and water movement, which gives the image lots of interest and energy. The selection of a high ISO has generated the rapid shutter speed required to capture this photo. The colour of the fish adds impact and interest. Excellent.

This is an excellent shot and the photographer's story just goes to prove that patience and persistence are often rewarded. The subject is nicely lit and the photographer has retained a natural look - despite the obviously dark and tricky conditions. I might have included a little more negative space in-front of the subject, but otherwise a good shot of a challenging subject.

This is a gorgeous portrait - the photographer has captured character and emotion in this young lion's eyes. Images like this help prove that you don't always need long lenses and expensive kit - subject knowledge, fieldcraft and patience are more important. A beautifully framed and captured shot - well done.

This is a very nicely captured image of a challenging subject. Damselflies are small insects that require a high level of magnification. Depth of field and light are limited, but the photographer has overcome these challenges expertly. The vertical composition works well. An eye-catching portrait.

I like the natural look of this image. So many images today look so polished and perfect as they are captured at commercial hides. Therefore, it is always nice to see photographs that look more authentic. Unfortunately, the twig obscuring the squirrels nose is quite distracting, and the surrounding branches don't frame the subject quite well enough for this shot to earn a place in my Top 10.

I know little about the challenges of underwater photography - its hard enough to capture a good nature shot on land! However, this is a very striking photo. The photographer has clearly captured intimate and unusual behaviour - and the story and context help add interest to this image.

These types of images are always Marmite - you will either love or have this shot. Personally, I like Marmite... and I like this image. The slow shutter speed and panning motion has created this fluid, impressionistic result. For me it conveys a better sense of movement and energy than a sharp result would have. It is also nice to see a less conventional perspective.

It's great to see a few, good macro shots in this contest. Wildlife photography competitions are often dominated by larger, more appealing animals, but capturing sharp, well-composed images of tiny subjects - like this crab spider - is far from easy. For me, the subject needs a tiny bit more breathing space, but an excellent shot nonetheless.

I love the light and atmosphere of this shot. The conversion to mono works well too, and suites the clean simplicity of this image. For me, the composition doesn't quite work, though, with the monkey cropped awkwardly. Maybe a vertical composition, showing the animal's legs, would have been more successful?

The foggy and wintry conditions create good atmosphere in this shot and simplify the animal's backdrop. However, the second (background) bison merges with the main subject and is rather distracting. A slightly different shooting angle might have avoided this - or sometimes you simply have to wait for a better opportunity.

This is a very pleasing and nicely balanced composition. I would love to know more about how this image was captured - however, not everyone who enters our New Joiners contests include a background story. It is never easy to capture two subjects sharply in one frame -particularly when depth of field is so shallow -so the photographer has demonstrated excellent timing and technique in this instance.

There is much to like about this shot - the light and focusing are good and the diffused backdrop is flattering and attractive. Unfortunately, with the blue tit's eye hidden behind the branch, this shot lacks crucial eye-contact. The photographer just needed the bird to lift its head up before triggering the shutter.